What Is Cryptojacking? How to Protect Yourself Against Crypto Mining Malware

What is cryptojacking

It appears that the attackers had come across this Kubernetes console, and realized that there was a huge security lapse – it hadn’t been password protected. If someone is willing to cryptojack, it gives them a way to mine cryptocurrencies without having to use their own computational resources or pay for the machines. If they manage to take over enough devices, they can have a large amount of processing power at their disposal. It can be a very lucrative business – mining thousands or millions in cryptocurrencies, often without the targets ever knowing. Cryptojacking is a cybercrime in which another party’s computing resources are hijacked to mine cryptocurrency. Cryptojacking, which is also referred to as malicious cryptomining, lets hackers mine cryptocurrency without paying for electricity, hardware and other mining resources.

Decrease In Performance

What is cryptojacking

If, for instance, a healthcare provider is the victim, staff could be unable to access critical patient health data. Attacks have also targeted essential infrastructure, such as a European water company. For cryptocurrencies to be able to create new blocks, individuals need to provide computing power.

Which Devices Can Be Cryptojacked?

Typically, an army of miners toils away on the puzzle simultaneously in a race to be the first with the puzzle proof that authenticates the transaction. ESecurity Planet is a leading resource for IT professionals at large enterprises who are actively researching cybersecurity vendors and latest trends. ESecurity Planet focuses on providing instruction for how to approach common security challenges, as well as informational deep-dives about advanced cybersecurity topics. Cyberjacking has been known to be more prevalent on What is cryptojacking movie-streaming and gaming websites, where the code can mine for an hour or more uninterrupted, while the victim is unaware. Cryptojacking is popular because the risk of being caught is so much lower than with other forms of cybercrime like ransomware, which requires that victims pay up in order to be successful. As we saw above in our UNICEF Australia example, cryptojacking can be used for good, and if it is done following the appropriate guidelines, it has the potential to be a viable and legitimate funding model.

  • Multiply that by thousands, maybe many times over, and there’s serious money to be made for attackers.
  • Easier and less detectable than ransomware attacks, cryptojacking allows cybercriminals to use compromised computing systems and networks to mine for cryptocurrencies.
  • If websites ask for explicit consent before conducting it at the browser level – or give their users the opportunity to choose between it and ad displays – the process doesn’t have to be wholly negative.
  • Regardless of whether a cryptojacking campaign is malware or browser-based, consensual or part of an attack, the end goal is essentially the same.
  • Look for any unfamiliar processes that are using a large amount of CPU power and perform a web search to see if they’re legitimate.

Why cryptojacking is popular

At the end of the day, it’s your computer or device, and you should have control over what processes occur on it. This is called the proof-of-work system, which is used by the cryptocurrencies mentioned in this article. An alternative system known as proof-of-stake system is used in Ethereum and other cryptocurrencies, but it’s outside of the scope of this article.

What Are Network Firewalls? Benefits, Types & Best Practices

To protect your devices from attack, be sure to install the latest security updates. To ensure you don’t accidentally install such malware, be sure to only install software from trusted sources. Like other types of malware, an attacker has to exploit a vulnerability or trick you into installing their software to attack your PC.

According to Interpol, the most notorious cryptocurrency that hackers mine is monero (XMR) because of the high level of anonymity it offers, making transactions difficult to trace. Since cryptojacking scripts are often delivered through online ads, installing an ad blocker can be an effective means of stopping them. Using an ad blocker like Ad Blocker Plus can both detect and block malicious cryptojacking code. Cryptojacking is a threat that embeds itself within a computer or mobile device and then uses its resources to mine cryptocurrency.

  • The browser-based approach works by creating content that automatically runs cryptomining software in a user’s web browser when they visit the webpage hosting it.
  • To stop cryptojacking in your browser, it’s a good idea to use an adblocker like uBlock Origin.
  • Some cybersecurity pros point out that, unlike most other types of malware, cryptojacking scripts do no damage to computers or victims’ data.
  • Cryptojacking attacks using Coinhive do not generally identify themselves and in many cases are deployed on sites as part of a malware payload.
  • However, a July 2020 cyber threat report found that even after Coinhive ceased operations, its software was still found to be working.

What is Cryptojacking? How to Detect and Avoid It (

What is cryptojacking

Cybercriminals looking to find a way to maintain a steady profit are turning into cryptojacking. Bitcoin, the world’s biggest and most well-known cryptocurrency, is up more than 70% from this year’s low of $27,734 on January 4. Not only could caps reduce the negative effects, but in turn, they would also reduce the animosity that many people have toward cryptojacking. This could lead to users whitelisting the activity on their adblockers, allowing websites to cryptojack from a larger pool of users. You can try to find the cryptojacking code by opening your website in a browser, right-clicking on the page, then clicking View Source. Scan the page looking for any unusual domains or file names, especially anything related to coins, mining or cryptocurrency.

What is cryptojacking

What is cryptojacking


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